ESSMA interviewed Khalifa Al Mana – Senior Project Engineer at Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy – to receive an update on the development of the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ host venues.

What is the latest update on stadium development for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™?

Seven stadiums are in construction phase, each in a different stage. Some are near completion and one stadium was already completed in 2017. We inaugurated Khalifa International Stadium with the final of the Emir Cup in May 2017. We will witness the opening of another stadium this year and all stadiums will be totally completed two years prior to the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup™.

“The key factor is the compact nature of the event. The most distant stadium from Doha is only one hour away from the capital city.”

Why will the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ be a unique tournament?

The key factor is the compact nature of the event. The most distant stadium from Doha is Al Bayt Stadium - which is located in Al Khor – and is only one hour away from the capital city. Thus, fans can attend two matches a day. For the players it means that they will not have to change their location, since they don't need internal flights. Therefore, the players will have more time to train and to rest. We are looking forward to have a really great 2022 FIFA World Cup™ in terms of quality of the games and in terms of fan experience.

“The legacy plans are picked really thoughtful with regard to what the community and the country need. That is why each stadium will have a different legacy.”

Why is legacy important for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy?

Qatar is building eight stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™. It would be a waste if big infrastructures - and we have seen that before with many events - end up with minimal operations after the tournament. So it is really important to engage with the community, with the governments and with the surrounding projects to actually understand what is appropriate for a particular region. The legacy plans are picked really thoughtful with regard to what the community and the country need. That is why each stadium will have a different legacy.

ESSMA interviewed Thomas Otton - Communications Director at Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) - on how LNR managed to attract a new audience to rugby by hosting a global show after the TOP 14 final.

What is the main challenge of hosting the TOP 14 final?

The main challenge is to seduce the audience, as it is a different target group compared to during the regular season or the semi-finals, which is a more fan-oriented event in one city during 48 hours.

“LNR was able to target a younger and more feminine audience by selecting a counterintuitive artist.”

What were the objectives of organising a global show?

In 2018, we organised a large show with Mika in Stade de France after the final between Montpellier Hérault Rugby and Castres Olympique. First of all, we wanted to enhance the fan experience. Secondly, we wanted to reach a new audience - especially a more feminine audience - and this is why we reached out to Mika. He has a great feminine audience and a younger audience as well, which is a key target for us. So the idea was to use Mika, not only as an artist for the final, but also as a medium and as an influencer towards his proper community.

What are the plans for the 2019 edition?

We chose one of the most famous French groups called Bigflo et Oli for next year. They are young and have a great fan base with over five million fans. The idea is to choose them very early in the year, we sign them in December, so we can really work with them on how they could help rugby and the TOP 14 to be discovered by their community. They are going to attend a training session at Stade Toulousain and some matches during the regular season, so that they can introduce rugby to their own communities.

ESSMA interviewed William Mannarelli - Director of Real Estate at FC Barcelona - about the Espai Barça project. The Espai Barça project is a large-scale infrastructure redevelopment project to improve (and expand) all FC Barcelona’s infrastructure including their training facilities, Camp Nou Stadium, Palau Blaugrana, the club’s offices as well as the commercial and leisure facilities.

What will the renovated facilities offer in terms of fan experience for Barça fans?

FC Barcelona has a long-standing tradition of providing the ultimate experience in terms of live sports events. The Espai Barça project is following that tradition as it links to the future Camp Nou. As a result, FC Barcelona aims to intensify the atmosphere inside the stadium and allow the players and fans to be closer to each other. That is in fact why people come to the stadium instead of watching the match on television. Palau Blaugrana has a tradition of being loud and having the spectators almost on top of the players. The new Palau Blaugrana is also very tight and compact. Preserving the continuity of the tradition of enhancing the fan engagement is key in all of our new venues.

What are the next steps in the Espai Barça project?

Estadi Johan Cruyff is finishing its construction work. We are hopeful that the building will be open and operational by May 2019. This summer, we are going to start moving roads and public utilities to make room for the enlargement of Camp Nou. In addition, we are doing renovation work in the future Camp Nou. We hope to apply for licenses for the stadium and for the arena, and then we can start with the construction.

“FC Barcelona aims to intensify the atmosphere inside the stadium and allow the players and spectators to come closer together. Preserving the continuity of the tradition of enhancing the fan engagement is key in all of our new venues.”

What will be the impact on the club and on the local community?

There is a tremendous amount to be won for the club, the community and the city. At the moment, we are strategically aligned to develop this project. It took a long time to get everybody sort of aligned, but the political will at this particular point is overwhelming and the long term effect is that FC Barcelona will have modern infrastructure for its fans locally, but also from around the world. In addition, we will also be able to give a public space back to the city of Barcelona that it currently does not have. That should be a tremendous benefit on non-matchdays for the surrounding residents.

ESSMA interviewed Carlos Carvalho, he’s in charge of the Operations Department at Estádio do Dragão. Furthermore, he’s the Security Manager at FC Porto.

“On matchdays, around 1,400 people are working at Estádio do Dragão. Including the SAA's (Sports Arena Assistants), the police, all service providers for catering and hospitality, as well as FC Porto’s employees and staff.”

How many concession stands are there in the stadium?

There are 24 concession stands at Estádio do Dragão, allocated in the North, South, West and East sections. There are three concession stands on the North side and three concession stands on the South side. Furthermore, there are nine concession stands on the East side and nine concession stands on the West side, allocated on Level -2 and -1.

Can you give an overview of the hospitality boxes at the stadium and their main characteristics?

Estádio do Dragão is divided into and east side and west side. The Five and Six Star boxes are located on the west side, these boxes are provided with the services inside the own boxes. Regarding the Three and Four Star boxes, these are located on the east side of the stadium. The Four Star boxes also have the services provided inside the own boxes. For its turn, the catering for the Three Star boxes is provided at the foyer of the boxes. That’s the difference between the boxes regarding their typology. In total, there are 20 boxes in the west side, and 64 boxes in the east side.

Which trends do you see in terms of hospitality and operations?

Nowadays, there are several trends that we've been detecting, such as a closer interaction with the players, trying to make possible to our club members, on a simple and safe way, to be closer to the players. Maybe it could be an option. And we're, in fact, evaluating the best solution, keeping also in mind that we always need to consider the stadium's conditions, its facilities and infrastructure.

In addition, FC Porto is pioneer inSeat Delivery. A tool that enable products to be delivered to fans through an app; the app identifies where the fan is seated, allowing the product to be delivered to that exact location. This is an important step which can also help to reduce the length of waiting queues, and, consequently, helps to improve the service.

ESSMA interviewed Mafalda Magalhães, FC Porto’s Museum Director. Her daily tasks involve coordinating all the departments and, together with a work team, performing the operational management of FC Porto’s Museum.

“Since the opening in 2013, we have welcomed over 735,000 visitors.”

Did you look at other club examples when building the museum?

During the assessment phase our team visited other club museums in Europe and South America as well as museums that weren’t sports related. It was very important to collect inspiration from what’s done well at other museums. We created a museum that’s modern, interactive and intuitive, with an important museological narrative and a strong link to the city’s history. Now, other clubs gather inspiration from us, in the same way we were inspired by others in the past.

When was the museum built?

FC Porto Museum was built in 2013. From the project’s beginning to its inauguration on 28 September 2013, construction took approximately six months. We opened to the public on 26 October 2013 due to fine tuning and operational aspects. This was an extremely ambitious project that resulted from the determined work of a small team who counted on the support of suppliers and partners to open this museum in the short period of six months.

“From a visitors’ standpoint, FC Porto Museum operates with two products we concentrate into one called “Tour FC Porto”. The Tour FC Porto is a visit to both our museum and Estadio do Dragao, because our stadium is part of our history and it’s consequently also part of the museum. It’s very unlikely that visitors who come to see the museum don’t want to visit the stadium and vice-versa. There’s an important focus on entertainment as well, visitors to the museum will also visit the pitch and the area the players go through to access the pitch.”

How many people visit the museum on a yearly base?

We’re currently on our fifth year of operation and this year we’ll reach a total of 175,000 visitors. In total, since the opening, we have welcomed over 735,000 visitors. This makes us the most visited museum in the city of Porto - especially when it comes to paid attractions.

ESSMA interviewed Teresa Santos, Quality & Environment Manager at FC Porto about sustainability at Estádio do Dragão. Together with her colleagues, they monitor the energy and water consumption as well as control legislation on a daily basis. Furthermore, they plan and monitor actions and provide continuous training in social responsibility and environment areas in order to change the club’s behaviour and act responsibly.

Can you explain your waste management process?

Estádio do Dragão has twelve in-house waste centres and one central waste house outside the stadium. On matchdays, the bars recycle everything that can be separated. Furthermore, there are different containers in and around the stadium, in which fans can recycle their waste. Our team handles inspections to guarantee that the recycling is done correctly and effectively. The next step is taking the recycled waste to our twelve in-house waste centres and afterwards to the central waste house outside the stadium where the fine sorting is done by an external partner.

What are the long-term sustainability goals for the club and the stadium?

Our objectives are to further decrease our negative environmental impact, improve accessibility at the stadium, promote well-being & social inclusion and accomplish our sustainable development objectives.

“One of the most important reasons for clubs to think about sustainability is the large audience football attracts and therefore the potential to reach a lot of fans. Through good practices and adopting sustainable attitude, a club can influence its fans positively and together contribute to a better world together.”

Can you give tips for clubs wanting to start with sustainability?

It’s important that you analyse yourself internally. Identify which are your critical points, which are the most negative impacts and those are the ones, which you must work on and define your action plan. It is also important to know your context and all interested parts, to do an analysis of your risks, opportunities and define an objectives plan.

Teresa Santos will take part in the SMART & Sustainability Seminar on Day 2.